Portable electronic devices allow users to be mobile. Instead of being fixed to a single location, a person can use a portable electronic device to work or play at multiple locations. For example, a user can download information from a fixed location to a laptop and use the laptop at other locations.
In addition to allowing mobility, users of the portable electronic devices also desire connectivity. As such, wireless connectivity is one of the fastest growing technologies over the last few years. A Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.11b standard and commonly known as “Wi-Fi,” is an example of one network that promotes wireless connectivity. The 802.11b standard uses frequencies between 2.4 GHz and 2.5 GHz of the electromagnetic spectrum (the “2 GHz band”) and allows users to transfer data at speeds up to 11 Mbit/sec.
IEEE standard 802.11a extends the 802.11b standard to frequencies between 5.2 GHz and 5.8 GHz (the “5 GHz band”) and allows data to be exchanged at even faster rates (up to 54 Mbit/sec), but at a shorter operating range than does 802.11b. IEEE 802.11g is an additional standard that uses the 2 GHz band as in 802.11b, but broadens the data rates to 54 Mbps by using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) technology.
802.16 is an example of another IEEE standard for wireless transmission of data. Commonly known as “WiMAX,” the IEEE standard uses various frequencies including 2.3-2.5 GHz and 3.4-3.5 GHz ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum and allows users to transfer data at speeds up to 70 Mbit/sec. Ultra-Wideband (UWB) is yet another wireless technology for transmitting data. An UWB system transmits data spread over a large bandwidth of 3.1-10.6 GHz at data rates including 53.3 Mb/s, 106.7 Mb/s and 200 Mb/s. Other standards also exist to govern wireless communications.
Portable electronic devices, such as laptops, personal digital assistants, mobile telephones, gaming devices, etc., are often manufactured with the capability for wireless communication (i.e., wireless transmission and wireless reception of data) according to standards such as those discussed above. Fixed electronic devices, such as desktop PCs, routers, printers, game stations, etc., may also have wireless capability installed during manufacturing.
If an electronic device does not have wireless capability, then an accessory may be used to allow the device to communicate wirelessly. An appropriately configured Universal Serial Bus (USB) device is such an accessory. USB devices are compatible with USB plugs and are well known in the art. USB devices may be known under other names, such as, pen drives. A USB flash device is an example of a USB device that employs flash memory.
A USB device can include the appropriate hardware, sequence of operating instructions or combination thereof to provide wireless connectivity for an electronic device. In other words, a USB device can be configured to wirelessly transmit and receive data. The USB device can be connected to an electronic device, fixed or portable, through a USB plug to enable the electronic device for wireless communication according to various standards such as those mentioned above.
The USB devices that provide wireless connectivity include an antenna. Recently, some USB devices have an antenna fabricated on an interior board surface located in the USB device. Due to the small physical size of USB devices, however, circuitry within the USB device can cause interference with the antenna and impact the propagation and reception of radio frequency signals.
Accordingly, what is needed in the art is a USB device that enables wireless connectivity and reduces antenna interference.